The Honorable William H. Pauley
United States District Court
Southern District of New York
40 Centre Street
New York, NY 10007

September 3, 2000

Dear Judge William H. Pauley,

I had the pleasure to be a medical student with Niels Lauersen. We both had good grades that gave us admission to the best colleges in Copenhagen. Dr. Lauersen was admitted to Regensen an old distinguished college and I was admitted to Domius Medius, a college only for students whose parents were doctors.

We spent time together as students and later when I worked at New York Cornell Medical Center. I spent several months studying with Professor Fuchs, who was Dr. Lauersen's Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cornell Medical Center. I had the opportunity to work with him during my deliveries and surgeries. I found him to be an excellent teacher and a very skillful surgeon and we indeed learned from each other.

Dr. Lauersen later submitted a medical thesis to the University of Copenhagen and completed the equivalent to a US PhD degree. This degree is needed in order to become a professor and chairman of any University. I watched him several times and each time learned from his skills and procedure. I was subsequently appointed Professor and Chairman of the Department of OB/GYN at AARHUS University Hospital, a very large University-Medical Center. When our department planned to start with ART procedure our funds were limited. I worked with Dr. Lauersen and observed him performing several GIFT procedures on patients who also needed gynecological treatment. On a later visit to Dr. Lauersen's Park Avenue office, I had the opportunity to see him perform culdoscopy procedures with removal of ovarian cysts and scar tissue in combination with vaginal egg retrieval.

I was very impressed with the skill Dr. Lauersen had developed performing culdoscopic procedures with removal of cysts and masses while patients were in the Trendelenberg position and simultaneously perform A.R.T. procedures.

I am presently on a sabbatical leave from my University and was offered a temporary position as Chairman at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Saudi Arabia.

I have only the highest regards for Dr. Lauersen's medical and surgical skills. He has contributed greatly to our field of medicine.

Sincerely yours,

Prof. Niels Jorgen Secher, MD
Chairman
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center
P.O. Box 3354 Riyadh 11211
SAUDI ARABIA